Archive for March, 2010
Community Food Bank offers home gardening workshops
Story and photo by Sierra J. Russell
If you enjoy garden-grown vegetables and don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty, the Community Food Bank has you covered.
The Community Food Resource Center is offering a series of free home gardening workshops throughout the spring and fall. Classes are open to everyone interested in improving their gardening skills.
Melissa Mundt, food production and education coordinator, said the workshops attract all types of people.
“For example, currently we have a participant who is deaf and, with the help of Pima Community College, we were able to arrange for sign language interpretation,” she said.
The workshops also cater to the schedule of busy parents.
“With advance notice, we offer childcare during the workshops,” Mundt said, “thanks to volunteers with childcare experience such as retired teachers.”
The spring schedule includes workshops offered on Friday and Saturday mornings. Topics include how to work with compost, how to choose an ideal garden site and how to keep plants healthy.
A variety of specialty workshops are also offered during the week.
“We offer extra classes in various locations for people with limited transportation,” Mundt said.
Specialty workshop topics include growing fruit trees, cooking locally grown foods, using solar ovens, harvesting rainwater, saving seeds and making herbal medicines.
Tony Bruno, the “poultry guru” of Community Food Bank, gives tips on how to care for chickens, and Chris Mazaralla teaches how to compost with worms.
By meeting a few requirements, you can become a member of the Community Food Resource Center Gardening Program. This allows access to compost, seeds and plants.
Members are also involved in helping work on the personal gardens of people in need of physical assistance.
“We are the Food Bank, so our main focus is on things you can eat,” Mundt said. “Flowers are important, and help bring pollinators.”
As if to demonstrate her point, a hummingbird hovered nearby for a few seconds while we were sitting in the garden. Mundt looked at my red shirt and said, “I think he wants to drink your shirt.”
The tiny creature quickly flitted back towards the rows of lettuce.
Melissa Mundt stands at the entrance to the Community Food Bank’s demonstration garden.
FYI
Upcoming classes:
• Soil and Compost: Saturday, April 10, 9-11 a.m.
• Site Design: Saturday, April 24, 9-11 a.m.
• Planting a Healthy Garden: Friday, March 26, and Saturday, May 8, 9-11 a.m.
Specialty workshops:
• Rainwater Harvesting: Tuesday, March 30, 9-11 a.m.
• Simply Cooking: Thursday, April 15, 1-3 p.m.
• How to Build a Solar Oven: Saturday, April 17, noon-4 p.m.
• Herbal Medicine Making: Monday, April 26, 9-11 a.m.
To obtain more information about the gardening workshops or any other programs offered by the Community Food Bank, contact Melissa Mundt at 622-0525 ext. 263 or mmundt@communityfoodbank.org, or Luis Herrera at 622-0525 ext. 264 or lherrera@communityfoodbank.org.
Six Digital Arts students win ADDY awards
Award ceremony attendees, from left, Michelle Thayer, Jenny Colaleo, Hadassah Cruz, Steve Romaniello (back), Leah Ellis, Fabian Corona Hernandez, Dave Wing, Sara Brooks and Patti Gardiner. Front: Tabitha Hill as the White Rabbit. Ellis and Hill dressed in costume for the dinner’s ‘Alice’ theme.
Story by Jacquelyn Montaño
Photos courtesy PCC Digital Arts
Six Pima Community College digital arts students won ADDY awards this year in a competition hosted by the Tucson Advertising Federation, a local chapter of the American Advertising Federation.
The Federation includes a student category in its annual competition for advertising professionals.
PCC winners were:
• Hadassah Cruz, one gold and Student Best of show for “Smooth Criminal.”
• Fabian Corona Hernandez, one gold, for “Waiting” (animation).
• Sara Brooks, one gold, for “Robot Gir.l”
• Jenny Colaleo, two silvers, for “Infernal Racket CD Cover” and “Autumn Geisha.”
• Adam Humiecki, one silver, for “Chop!” (animation).
• Chapo Sanchez, one bronze, for “Juxtapose Cover.”
Gold ADDY winners advance to a regional, multi-state competition. In past years, Pima students have advanced to the national level, winning national silver awards.
Digital Arts instructor Patti Gardiner noted that Pima students won more gold and silver ADDYs than any other area schools in the competition, including the University of Arizona, Art Institute and Art Center of Tucson.
“This is exciting for us as it reflects the quality and high caliber of our student work, especially when you consider we are a two-year school competing with four-year schools,” Gardiner said.
Digital Arts Department Chair Dennis Landry and Gardiner selected contest entries from several digital arts classes.
The awards dinner was held Feb. 20 at La Paloma Resort. The Pima College Foundation and the PCC student chapter of the Advertising Club helped pay for winning students to attend.
During the event, PCC student Michelle Thayer was awarded a $1,000 Tucson Advertising Federation student scholarship. Thayer submitted an application along with a resume and a 500-word essay on why she wants a career in advertising.
“Smooth Criminal” by Hadassah Cruz won gold honors and student best of show.
“Robot Girl” (Gold ADDY), Sara Brooks
“Chop!” - an animation (Silver ADDY), Adam Humiecki
“Infernal Racket CD cover” (Silver ADDY), Jenny Colaleo
“Robot Girl” (Gold ADDY), Sara Brooks
Desert Vista programs use federal funds for expansion
Story and photo by Narciso Villarreal
Programs ranging from avionics to phlebotomy have been introduced at Pima Community College’s Desert Vista Campus, thanks to a federal grant program known as Title V.
The U.S. Department of Education awards Title V grants to colleges such as PCC that have been designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Program goals include improving technology and improving services for Hispanics and low-income students.
“To succeed in the increasingly competitive global marketplace of the 21st century, all Americans must take advantage of opportunities to further their postsecondary studies,” Chancellor Roy Flores said. “Title V grants provide funding for programs that help students achieve their education goals. The result is greater prosperity for everyone.”
Title V grants help fund programs at several PCC campuses. Desert Vista programs include avionics, medical assistant, phlebotomy and early childhood education.
Avionics program
The avionics program started in the spring of 2008 and has since struggled to maintain and recruit new students.
Avionics is a nine-month workforce program that runs from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily from March to December at the PCC Aviation Technology Center, located at 7211 S. Park Ave. at Tucson International Airport.
Tuition costs $4,000 but can be paid in five-week installments of about $800.
“We’re one of only 10 avionics schools and the least expensive in the entire country,” Program Coordinator Carlos Romero said.
Students can expect to learn the basics of maintaining, troubleshooting and installing electronic aircraft systems. After students complete the program, they take the National Center for Aircraft Technician Training exam for certification.
Students can earn $35,000 to $45,000 in an entry-level position after they finish the program and become NCATT certified, Romero said. Local employers include Bombardier, Boeing, Cessna, Skywest Airlines and Evergreen.
There is currently a high demand for avionic technicians because employees from the baby boomer generation are starting to retire. Within the next 10 to 15 years, 66 percent of avionics workers will retire, Romero said.
Through June, the program will host an Aviation Technology Orientation and Open House at the Aviation Technology Center on the second Tuesday of each month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. During the summer, it will hold sessions twice a month.
Medical assistant program
The medical assistant program is expanding due to high enrollment, community need and higher job demands. Lack of space and equipment are other reasons for the program’s expansion.
The 9- to 15-month program offers online courses to compensate for the lack of classroom space.
The program is in the beginning stages of starting construction for new lab space at Desert Vista. Title V funds will provide $230,000 to build the laboratories and purchase new medical equipment.
Phlebotomy program
Community need and higher job demands have led to introduction of a phlebotomy program at Desert Vista. The two-year program includes laboratory and clinical courses.
This program is also in the early stages of starting construction for lab space.
Early childhood education program
The early childhood education program is currently seeking accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Benefits of accreditation include improving program quality, helping articulation agreements with universities and increasing appeal to students.
The program is currently in the self-study portion of the two-year process, and is changing its course objectives to meet NAEYC standards.
Other plans call for the early childhood education and child development associate degree programs to convert more courses to online. PCC will also use Title V funds to introduce an early childhood special education program.
For more information on any of the programs, call 206-5250 or pima.edu.
Pete Stogsdill, aviation department chair, examines a training control board at the Desert Vista program site.
Texting while driving same as DUI
By Debbie Hadley
Driving while talking or texting is lethal. There are plenty of cases to prove that.
Last issue, an Aztec Press staffer suggested that cell phone use should be banned for every driver, period.
I have a bigger bone to pick: texting. Driving while talking is certainly not the best thing you can do while operating a motor vehicle, but texting while driving is a far worse crime.
Let me preface this by saying I have texted while driving. But after recently going cold turkey, let me provide important things you might be missing: brake lights, pedestrians, merging traffic. The list literally goes on.
For those of you who might be thinking, “that’s not me,” let me throw some numbers out to make you considerably less comfortable.
Research indicates that texting and driving is more dangerous than just talking on your cell phone.
Texting involves a meeting of “visual, manual and cognitive distractions,” according to distraction.gov. This means your eyes are off the road, your hands are off the wheel and you’re not paying attention to what you’re doing.
In fact, according to the University of Utah, texting while driving has the same effect as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.
Let me be one of the many to inform you of this: you do not have the right to text and drive, and be a factor in a very possible car accident.
This month, the state Senate revived a bill on banning texting by drivers. If passed, there would be a $50 fee for being caught in the act or $200 if there was an accident.
These numbers may not mean much to young drivers, but the point is this: a life is not worth your 140 characters or less. Texting while driving is fast becoming the new DUI.
Nineteen states currently ban texting while driving. Arizona would be smart to do the same.
Student art exhibit opens April 5
By David Mendez
The 2010 Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition will open April 5 at the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery at West Campus. The exhibit will be on display through April 30.
A reception will be held Wednesday, April 7, from noon to 3 p.m. The awards ceremony will be at 1 p.m. that day.
The exhibition is considered an important event for student artists wishing to make their names known within the Southern Arizona art community, according to Gallery Director David Andres.
Students from any PCC campus are eligible to enter. Artists selected have their work showcased in a professional manner at a public venue.
Jurors for this year’s competition were Peggy Hazard, assistant curator of exhibitions at Tohono Chul Park; Cici Garcia, artist and director of Raices Taller 222 Gallery; and Richard DeZinno, creative director at Masterpieces, Inc.
The Bernal Gallery is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and before most evening performances in the Center for the Arts theaters. The gallery and all of its programs are free and open to the public.
Call Andres at 206-6942 for more information.
FYI
What: PCC Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition
When: April 5- 30. Reception: April 7, noon-3 p.m.
Where: PCC Center for the Arts, Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery, West Campus
Admission: Free
PCC uses grants for DUI education, enforcement
By Manny Manriquez III
Pima Community College is using two highway safety grants to educate students about drunken driving laws and help enforce those laws through September.
The college has an average student age of 27, putting it in a special position to address the dangers of alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Nationally, the average driver involved in an alcohol or driving under the influence-related death is a male between the ages of 21 and 34, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“It is the philosophy of the Pima Community College Department of Public Safety and its officers that the reduction of alcohol-related traffic deaths can be accomplished through a balance of enforcement and education,” Commander Manny Amado said.
PCC officers will work through each campus’ student life office to conduct DUI education programs, such as handing out pamphlets and conducting demonstrations using Fatal Vision goggles.
Officers have already conducted DUI workshops and presentations at East, Northwest and West campuses.
Pima officers also participated in various Southern Arizona DUI Task Force deployments, including one over the rodeo recess. The deployments focused primarily on areas around the Downtown Campus.
The grants include a Highway Safety Grant for $5,622 and a Selective Traffic Enforcement Grant for $2,114.
Chief Stella Bay said PCC’s participation in the program allows officers to educate students about state DUI laws and provide students with information about impaired driving.
“Education combined with enforcement is a good way to educate the public about the consequences of drinking and driving,” she said.
Phi Theta Kappa chapter wins regional honors
Story by Laura Halverson
Photo contributed by Alpha Beta Chi
Pima Community College’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa national honor society has been recognized within the Arizona region.
The Alpha Beta Chi chapter received eight awards, including Distinguished Advisor, Hall of Honor Distinguished Chapter Officer and Distinguished Chapter of the Arizona Region.
Alpha Beta Chi has an extensive community service record, including working with the PCC Desert Vista Community Garden and building a library at an orphanage in Imuris, Mexico.
President Cynthia Berens said Alpha Beta Chi chapter members and officers are committed to the group’s hallmarks of scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship.
“Everyone has worked very hard during the past year to identify community needs that the chapter could address through service projects,” Berens said. “It is wonderful to see the chapter, advisors, officers and members recognized for the positive impact we have had. The awards truly are all well-deserved.”
Examples of previous and current chapter projects include collecting donations for World Care to assist with Haiti relief and holding a trash clean-up on A Mountain in collaboration with Keep America Beautiful and the Trek Against Trash. (See kab.org and trekagainsttrash.org for more information.)
Phi Theta Kappa, established in 1918, works to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and to provide opportunities for individual growth and development.
It is the largest honor society in American higher education, with more than 2 million members and 1,200 chapters.
April 8-10, members of the PCC chapter will attend the national convention in Orlando, Fla.
They will attend leadership workshops, hear guest speakers including MSNBC political analyst Rachel Maddow and CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and learn what recognition and honors the chapter has attained at the international level.
To learn more about Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and PCC’s chapter, visit ptk.org and ecc.pima.edu/~ptk.
Members of Pima Community College’s Alpha Beta Chi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa honor society show off awards they’ve won.
Issue 5 arts briefs
Poetry reading
slated March 25
Pima Community College student Liza Porter will receive the Mary Ann Campau Memorial Fellowship award and read some of her work on March 25 at 8 p.m. at the University of Arizona Poetry Center, 1508 E. Helen St.
Porter, an editor for Aztec Press, is the founding director of the Other Voices Women’s Reading Series at Antigone Books.
Her work has appeared in AGNI, Borrow Street, Diner, HotelAmerika, Slipstream, Worcester Review and “What Wilderness Is This: Women Write about the Southwest” (University of Texas Press: Austin, 2007.)
“Down the Tracks: Bruce Springsteen Sang to Me” appears in the anthology “Poets on Prozac: Mental Illness, Treatment and the Creative Process” (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008.)
Porter’s essay “In Plainview” (Cimarron Review, 2005) was listed as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2006.
Porter has received grants from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Tucson-Pima Arts Council, and has attended residencies at Helene Wurlizer Foundation of New Mexico, Djerassi Resident Artists Program and Hedgebrook Retreat for Women Writers.
For additional information, visit http://poetrycenter.arizona.edu.
-By Austin Driscoll
Shelton reading
set for April 6
Richard Shelton, author of the book “Crossing the Yard: Thirty Years as a Prison Volunteer,” will give a reading and sign books on April 6 at Northwest Campus, Room A-207, from 1-2 p.m.
Shelton, the University of Arizona Regents’ Professor of English Emeritus, is the author of 12 books of poetry and three non-fiction books.
His best-known book, a travel memoir titled “Going back to Bisbee,” has won several awards. “Crossing the Yard” was published in 2007 and won a Gold Medal in creative nonfiction from the Independent Publisher group.
-By Taylor Bock
Students mixed on bill to ban texting while driving
Story by D.J. Ochoa
Photo by Gabi Piña
On-again, off-again efforts by Arizona legislators to ban texting while driving keep Pima Community College students guessing on whether they will have their texting fingers free for another year.
A Senate bill to prohibit drivers from writing, reading or sending text messages and e-mails was killed, then resurrected, during legislative voting this month. Violators would face a $50 fine, which increases to $200 if they’re involved in an accident.
Opponents argue against new government restrictions and say a ban would be difficult to enforce. Supporters say a ban is needed to make roads safer, and promise to keep pushing for passage of a bill.
Nineteen states currently prohibit drivers from texting, and Phoenix jumped on the bandwagon in 2007. The city has issued about nine citations since the law went into effect.
PCC students surveyed shared varied opinions about texting while driving.
Some believe it’s not difficult to multitask while driving. Others said texting and driving are like water and oil: they do not mix.
Breanna Wright, a psychology/business major, said she tries to focus on driving rather than sending text messages.
“I know better than to text and drive,” Wright said. “However, if it’s important I may check my phone at a red light.”
Wright does make and receive calls on the road, and said legislation should not prevent that.
“I think it should be just for texting because making phone calls is OK,” she said. “People need to use their phones all the time these days.”
Wright also questioned whether texting while driving really presents a major problem.
“I think they probably haven’t passed the bill because it’s not a problem here,” she said. “So, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”
Marcus Moen, who is majoring in environmental studies, believes that texting while operating a vehicle is dangerous. He thinks a bill banning texting should be passed.
“I think it is something we need to hurry up and do since all scientific studies say texting while driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving,” Moen said. “I have almost been hit three times in the last month by someone on the phone.”
Issue 5 horoscopes
By Taylor Bock
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
You’re a romantic through and through, Taurus. Your love is so deep that you’re guaranteed happiness. Oh wait, that’s from last year. Your current horoscope says you’re a loser and you’ll die alone.
Gemini (May 21-June 21)
Pay attention to your elders, Gemini. It pays to listen to what they have to say. That way you get a chance to be in their will and get all their stuff when they die. Don’t be afraid to help along that last part.
Cancer (June 22- July 22)
Things suck, Cancer. Not everything will go your way, and you can’t get too upset about it. Chances are, nothing will ever go your way. Get used to your new home: Mediocrity-ville.
Leo (July 23- Aug. 22)
You’re able to brighten anyone’s day, Leo. But considering I’m lacing everyone’s horoscopes with venom this issue, I have to insult you somehow. I know: your feet smell and you need a haircut.
Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22)
You’ve got some interesting ideas, Virgo. It’s too bad they all suck. What? I’ll bet the creators of the Hindenburg would have liked to know the blimp would crash and burn.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Next time you start daydreaming, don’t come out of it, Libra. Just stay there. The longer you stay in la-la-land, the longer you can escape your depressing little blip of an existence.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Scorpio, go hang out with real people. No, not your raiding party in World of Warcraft. I mean actual living, breathing people. They’re human beings. People. Oh forget it, I give up.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec 21)
I’m being really mean to everyone else, but you know what? You’re cool, Sagittarius. You’re going to have a lovely next few weeks, until the next paper comes out. Then I’ll rip you a new one so big you could park a semi-truck in it.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan 19)
Be cautious, Capricorn. You never know who’s watching. Someone could be watching you right now. I could be watching you… Nah, I’m just messing with you. God, you’re gullible.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Don’t lose your temper, Aquarius. Nothing good ever happens when you succumb to rage. Although it is pretty damn funny to watch someone explode like that. Actually, you should go berserk. I’ll get some popcorn and take a seat.
Pisces (Feb.19-March 20)
Ooooh, you’re in trouble, Pisces. The authorities know what you did and they’re coming right now to take you away. You’ll share a cell with Aquarius and, believe me, he will not be a pleasant cellmate.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
If you’re curious, Aries, I’ve had a bad head cold and I’m cranky. That’s why I’m being so vicious toward the other signs. But I’m sparing you and Sagittarius. I decided that you’re both cool this week, for no particular reason.
Keep your 3-D off my ‘Harry Potter’ films
By Gabi Piña
Over the last year, a three-dimensional craze has swept the movie world. Every other film released has some form of 3-D effect.
I’m an avid Harry Potter fan. I’ve followed the series since the first book was published and I’ve been impatiently waiting for the release of the last two movies.
Once the 3-D trend took over and once “Avatar” became the highest grossing movie ever, someone in Harry Potter land decided, “Oh, hey. Let’s make ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ 3-D!” No, no, no! This is not acceptable.
Some might argue that having those kinds of effects will only enhance their Harry Potter experience. It would give them the feeling of actually being there.
Let’s get real. I doubt that is why the behind-the-scenes Harry Potter crew is doing this. They heard “Avatar” made millions due to it being so awesome, so they think they can do the same.
I’m sorry to those who are in favor of this, but the films already make too many changes from the books. There’s just no need to add 3-D effects.
Harry Potter movies are filled with enough action and awesome scenes to hook people. The series has been going strong since the first movie was released and they’ve done it all without the help of three-dimensional scenes.
If people are looking for some “real” Harry Potter action, they can go to the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” attraction opening this spring at Universal Studios in Florida. The experience there will make them feel as if they’re literally in Harry Potter’s world.
I know this rant won’t change David Yates’ mind on how he chooses to direct the final two films, but if by any chance he happens to read this, I want him to know that I kind of hate him for doing it.
The Harry Potter series should not be in danger of plummeting because of this! Leave the plummeting to the Twilight series. But, as we all know, that’s a whole different story.
Stop using animals as entertainers
By Manny Manriquez III
It made news worldwide when an orca whale at SeaWorld in Orlando attacked and killed its trainer.
I know what you’re thinking. Another animal rights argument. But this is more than that. Why do we even have these wild animals in facilities for our entertainment?
In the Feb. 24 incident, audience members watched as a male “killer whale” orca, Tilikum, jumped and grabbed veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau from a poolside platform before dragging her underwater.
Tilikum was also involved in the death of a female trainer in Canada in 1991. Other killer whales attacked trainers at SeaWorld parks in 2006 and 2004.
Here’s the problem: We try to “humanize” these animals for our entertainment. Not only is it bad for the animal itself because we are taking it out of its natural environment, but it’s bad for us too.
These whales seem cute and harmless, but they can snap at any time. We put ourselves in danger to see these animals perform “tricks.”
The animals are wild and we can’t predict what they will do. Sure, the person training them has a choice to do so or not, but as a modern society we shouldn’t let people be in these dangerous situations.
There really is no one to blame but ourselves. The animals didn’t ask to be put in artificial environments. How can we justify taking them out of their natural environments and depriving them of their normal social groups, all for our entertainment?
It’s all about money. Yeah, we get to see how smart these animals are but we are keeping them in places where they shouldn’t be.
We need to stop using animals for entertainment and place them back where they belong.
Aztec Calendar
Compiled by Marie Rodriguez
Thursday, March 25:
Through March 26: Student Visual Art Gallery: “Variations,” 8 a.m.-8 p.m., West Campus, Santa Rita Building.
Anton Faynberg Piano Recital, 7 p.m., CFA Recital Hall, West Campus. Tickets: $6 (discounts available). Details: 206-6986 or pima.edu/cfa.
Poetry reading by PCC student Liza Porter, 8 p.m., University of Arizona Poetry Center, 1508 E. Helen St. Details: http://poetrycenter.arizona.edu.
Friday, March 26:
Through March 28: Bill Ganz Western Band & Tucson Symphony Orchestra, 7:30 p.m., Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Admission: $24-$62. Details: 882-8585.
Through April 4: Gutenberg! The Musical! Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Tickets: $15. Contact theater for showings. Details: 882- 6574.
Through April 30: Butterfly Magic at the Gardens, Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. Admission: $12. Details: 326-9686 or tucsonbotanical.org.
Saturday, March 27:
Softball vs. Central Arizona College, noon, West Campus.
Baseball vs. Paradise Valley CC, noon, West Campus.
B.J. Kurtz book signing, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Mostly Books, 6208 E. Speedway. Details: 571-0110.
Sunday, March 28:
Hike to Tucson Mountain Park, 7:45-a.m. to 3 p.m. Join Desert Vista Outdoor Activities Club. Contact: Brian Miller, 206-5030.
Pima Community College Education Association Arundo Removal Event, 8 a.m.-noon, 4800 N. Tuttle Ave., on the Rillito River across from Children’s Memorial Park.
The Remedy Tour, 8:30 p.m., Main Street. Tickets (at any Bookmans): $13.50.
Monday, March 29:
Save the Animals Pet Adoption Drive, all day, Desert Vista Campus. Contact: Brian Miller, 206-5030.
March 29-30: Women’s golf tournament with PCC hosting, 11 a.m. start time, Silverbell Golf Course, 3600 N. Silverbell Road.
Student Success Workshop, “Yoda’s Stress Reduction Tips,” 5-6 p.m., West Campus CG-06. No reservation required. Contact: Betty Olivares, 206-6600.
Tuesday, March 30:
Baseball vs. Scottsdale CC, noon, West Campus.
Men’s tennis vs. Mesa CC, 1:30 p.m., Tucson Racquet Club, 4001 N. Country Club.
Softball vs. Gateway CC, 2 p.m., West Campus.
Wednesday, March 31:
NASA Fashion Show, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Desert Vista Campus Ocotillo Room. Contact: Brian Miller, 206-5030.
Super Smash Brothers Tournament, noon-3:30 p.m., Desert Vista Campus. Contact: Brian Miller, 206-5030.
Men’s tennis vs. San Diego City College, 1:30 p.m., Tucson Racquet Club, 4001 N. Country Club.
Astronautalis, 8 p.m., Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Tickets: $7. Details: 622-8848.
Thursday, April 1:
Easter Basket Fundraiser benefitting NASA, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Desert Vista cafeteria. Contact: Brian Miller, 206-5030.
Women’s tennis vs. Glendale CC, 1:30 p.m., Tucson Racquet Club, 4001 N. Country Club.
The El Camino Royales, 9:30 p.m., The Hut, 305 N. 4th Ave. Details: 623-3200.
Friday, April 2:
Tucson Clean and Beautiful, cleaning Calle Santa Cruz, 9-11 a.m., Desert Vista Campus. Contact: Brian Miller, 206-5030.
Through April 3: Tucson Poetry Festival, various hours and locations. Admission: $10 for readings, $5 for workshops, $25 for festival pass. Details: tucsonpoetryfestival.org.
Basic Computer Skills workshop, 11 a.m.-noon, West Campus computer commons, C-202. Free. RSVP by calling 206-6042.
Through July 3: Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life and Legends, Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Ave. Admission: $3. Details: 624-2333 or TucsonMuseumofArt.com.
Saturday, April 3:
Alberding Amble, 5K (9 a.m.) and 1-mile Fun Run (10 a.m.), Lincoln Park, 8155 E. Poinciana Drive. Details: 206-7667.
Softball vs. Glendale CC, noon, West Campus.
Festival en el Barrio Viejo with Calexico & Friends, 1 p.m., Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Admission: $20 in advance, $25 day of show. Details: 740-1000.
Free Patio Show: Sweet Pea and the Bean, 7 p.m., Club Congress 311 E. Congress St. Details: 622-8848.
Sunday, April 4:
Soulfly, 6:30 p.m., Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Admission: $22 in advance $26 day of show. Details: 740-1000.
Daryl Shawn, 9:30 p.m., Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Free. Details: 798-1298.
Public Observatory Viewing, 7 p.m., UA Science Center, 1601 E. University Blvd. Free. Details: 621-7827.
Monday, April 5:
Through April 30: Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery “Annual Student Juried Exhibition,” Center for the Arts, West Campus. Details: 206-6942.
Free Breakfast, 8-11 a.m., Desert Vista Campus student life office. Contact: Brian Miller, 206-5030.
Percentage Night at a Local Restaurant, 6-9 p.m., benefitting Desert Vista student government. Details: Brian Miller, 206-5030.
Tuesday, April 6:
April 6-7: Library Book Sale, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., West Campus Santa Catalina Deck.
April 6-7: Blood Drive by American Red Cross, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., West Campus.
Reading and book signing by Richard Shelton, 1 p.m., Northwest Campus, A-207. Free. Details: 206-4500.
Women’s tennis vs. Paradise Valley CC, 1:30 p.m., Tucson Racquet Club, 4001 N. Country Club.
Wednesday, April 7:
NASA Bake Sale, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Desert Vista Campus cafeteria. Contact: Brian Miller 206-5030.
Provost’s “Let’s Chat” session, noon-1 p.m., West Campus Santa Rita Building.
Reception, Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery “Annual Student Juried Exhibition,” noon-3 p.m., awards ceremony 1 p.m., Center for the Arts, West Campus. Details: 206-6942.
Through April 18: PCC Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, CFA Black Box Theater, West Campus. Tickets: $10. Preview Night April 7 at 7:30 p.m. Details: 206-6986.
MARIE’S MUNCHIES: Guadalajara Grill
Review and photos by Marie Rodriguez
Everybody has gone to a Mexican restaurant and tried a salsa they thought was too spicy, too chunky, too mild, too… something. At Guadalajara Grill, the salsa is made fresh tableside.
A nice lady comes to your table with a cart full of goodies. She has different peppers and spices and asks how spicy you would like your salsa. The end result tastes like something my grandma would make fresh (that’s a very good thing).
The prices for entrees could be steep for an average college student. A plate ranges from about $12 up to $19. On a budget, appetizers are a student’s best bet. They fill you up and don’t come with the standard beans and rice fillers.
Why do I call the beans and rice fillers? When they don’t yield high amounts of flavor on their own, they become fillers.
Unfortunately, Guadalajara Grill’s rice tasted like I could’ve made it (that means it’s not like grandma’s).
Fortunately, there are other things for the Grill to brag about besides the tasteless rice. Tortillas are made fresh in their kitchen daily.
The menu also allows for cost-conscious customers to save on daily lunch specials. These plates range from about $9 to $11 and include fish tacos, fajitas and even lobster.
Fish tacos at the Grill certainly are worth going for. These tacos are stuffed with tasty, crunchy shrimp that jump ship as you eat.
Marisol Gandarilla, left, and Maria Ramirez take reservations at Guadalajara Grill.
Visit the restaurant weekdays between 3-6 p.m. and you are in for some happy hours. The Grill’s happy hour consists of a $3 house margarita that is big enough to last you through a meal. They also serve $2.50 draft beers and take $2 off any tequila flight and selected appetizers.
If you’re in the mood for a nice dinner, this may not be the place to go. If you’re out for a couple of drinks and some appetizers to share with friends, this is a good place to visit.
Salsa is made fresh to order at your table.
FYI
Guadalajara Grill
Address: 1220 E. Prince Road
Phone: 323-1022
Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Web site: ggrill.com
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